Utilities
Electricity and Natural Gas
Minnesota’s energy services are extremely reliable and priced lower than the national average, which is a powerful competitive advantage over most other states.
A healthy balance of coal, nuclear power, and renewable resources like wind, hydropower, wood, and waste allows Minnesota to offer an abundant electricity at prices comfortably below the national average.
Minnesota average annual electric rate for industrial customers in 2011 was 6.51¢ per kilowatt/hour, lower than the national rate of 6.89¢ per kilowatt/hour.
The typical electric bill for medium-sized industrial users in Minnesota ($29,678) was lower than the bill for the U.S. ($37,331) in 2011, according to the Edison Electric Institute.
The electric bill for a midsize industrial user in Minneapolis-St. Paul was $31,240 compared to other cities in the Midwest such as Cleveland, Ohio ($31,812).
Natural gas is piped from suppliers throughout North America at very competitive prices. Data from the Energy Information Administration reveals that the average retail price for Minnesota's industrial customers in 2011 was $5.62 per thousand cubic feet, the 10th lowest among states for which data was available.